Saudi Ports Authority, Mawani, has completed development works at Jeddah Islamic Port’s North Container Terminal, increasing its handling capacity from 2.5 million TEUs to 6.2 million TEUs.

The development works, carried out in cooperation with the Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT), was completed at a cost of SR 1 billion ($266 million). The project, which took three years to complete, has also contributed to increasing the terminal’s area from 700,000 sqm to 1,500,000 sqm.

Saleh bin Nasser Al Jasser, Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and Chairman of the Saudi Ports Authority, said that the completion of development works in Jeddah Islamic Port’s North Container Terminal, in partnership with the private sector, will contribute to enhancing operational capabilities, increasing the port’s capacity in trade movements, exports, and supporting maritime transport, supply chains, and logistics services.

He emphasised the importance of the completion of infrastructure rehabilitation and the deepening project in enabling the port to receive large ships, add value and create promising investment opportunities that support the significant maritime capabilities of Saudi ports.

Omar Hariri, President of the Saudi Ports Authority, pointed out that the continuous development of the infrastructure at Jeddah Islamic Port is part of Mawani’s efforts to enhance the kingdom’s leadership in the maritime sector, maximise its ability to stimulate the transportation and logistics industry, strengthen its economic and developmental role, as well as raising the kingdom’s rank in international rankings.

CEO of the Red Sea Gateway Terminal, Jens Floe, said that this achievement reflects the strategic partnership between Mawani and RSGT. He confirmed the completion of integration work within a period not exceeding three years, contributing to increasing the terminal’s area from 700,000 sqm to 1,500,000 sqm, and increasing its handling capacity from 2.5 million TEUs to 6.2 million TEUs.

The development works included the renovation of all buildings at the terminal, the inauguration of an advanced control room equipped with the latest technologies; the establishment of automated main gates for trucks entering and exiting the terminal, with a larger capacity and equipped with optical character recognition (OCR) feature, in addition to supporting operational performance with 146 different equipment, during the period 2020 to 2023.

Moreover, the rehabilitation of the infrastructure, covering more than 1.5 million sqm, and 11 berths of 2,600 metres equipped with 24 shore-to-ship cranes (STS), along with the completion of the deepening project, has expanded the northern channel of the Red Sea Gateway Terminal to welcome giant ships with a draft of up to 17 metres.

The development of Jeddah Islamic Port’s North Container Terminal is included in the build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract signed between the Saudi Ports Authority and the Red Sea Gateway Terminal, aligning with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy (NTLS) to make Jeddah Islamic Port a world-class leader. – TradeArabia News Service